
Cookie Base:
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 Egg
Filling:
1 can (8 oz) or 1 package (7 oz) almond paste, crumbled into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 eggs
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Topping:
2 oz white chocolate baking bar, coarsely chopped (1/3 cup)
2 tablespoons shortening
1/4 cup sliced almonds (to be sprinkled on top, not mixed into melted chocolate)
1. Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, stir cookie base ingredients until soft dough forms. Spread in ungreased 13x9-inch pan. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until light golden brown.
2. Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat almond paste, sugar and 1/4 cup melted butter with electric mixer on low speed until blended. Add 2 eggs; beat until well blended (mixture may be slightly lumpy).
3. Spread almond paste mixture over partially baked base. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup almonds. Bake 15 to 20 minutes longer or until filling is set (filling will puff up during baking). Cool completely, about 1 hour.
4. In 1-quart heavy saucepan, melt white chocolate and shortening over low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Pour and spread over cooled bars. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup almonds. Let stand about 30 minutes or until topping is set. For bars, cut into 8 rows by 4 rows. Store covered at room temperature.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): In step 1, bake 18 to 21 minutes. In step 3, bake 17 to 22 minutes.
Almond paste can be found in the baking section of your supermarket. It is a prepared mixture of almonds, sugar and water that comes in either a can or a tube packed in a box. Stay away from the larger 12- to 13-oz canned pastry filling because it is a different product.
Use the premium or premier white chocolate baking bars found next to other chocolates in the baking aisle. It will give you a better flavor and performance than almond bark.
The glaze can also be prepared in the microwave. In small microwavable bowl, microwave white chocolate and shortening 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth.
I made these for our Nativity Open House this last Christmas and they were a HIT! I doubled the batch and made it in a cookie sheet pan instead. Your going to Love these!!